It's been awhile... And I apologize.

First things first: We haven't given up. Not by a long shot, and we certainly have no reason to.

Over the holidays we enjoyed the charm and beauty afforded to us by the Mansion in all of it's Christmas splendor. My husband and I went out and cut down our own tree at Cosgray Tree Farm in nearby Idaville, Indiana. It was AWESOME! The 12' monster that we chose tried to eat Eric several times, but in the end he won the war and the tree sat elegantly in our living room. Good thing we have 16' ceilings to support such a magnificent evergreen!

It's been small projects since then. Still pulling up tiles, still cleaning. Still getting acquainted with everything this relic has to offer. We've enjoyed the snow, that's for sure, and hope there's a wee bit more in the forecast before winter is finally said and done... We also welcomed a new addition into the home - no not the baby... Not yet anyway (baby comes in late March!) - a German Shepherd. Horatio has been a long time coming since my husband lost his old buddy Charlie on Thanksgiving almost 3 years ago. It's a learning curve, some people have called us crazy, but it feels right having him around - silly puppy that he is.

Anyway...

Things are starting to happen as winter slowly ebbs into spring here in Logansport. On the heels of our town losing another mansion to expansion, and greed - as it literally came by way of the local YMCA blindsiding the community by ripping down a gorgeous brick mansion that had been built in the late 1800s in order to put in a new parking lot - we've seen renewed interest in preserving Logansport's magnificent landmarks. That being said, it was our absolute pleasure to host Pharos Tribune reporter Mitchell Kirk and his photographer, Kyle Keener, at the Greensfelder Mansion this afternoon. He'd been directed our way by the great Paul Willham shortly after the announcement that the YMCA was ripping down the old brick mansion that literally stood only a block from us. Mitchell has a true love for this town and its preservation so we had absolutely no qualms about opening our doors and giving him the grand tour. To be honest... Seeing the eyes of others light up in wonder at witnessing the majesty of this "castle" for the first time really renews our spirits.

While we love this home, sometimes the grand scheme of things is extremely overwhelming. It becomes very very hard to see the forest for all the trees. But... To know that this home is an architectural and historical marvel in the eyes of others, and to know that it's part of a history that leaps the boundaries of the town it sits in... Yeah... It's invigorating. Words like "incredible", "remarkable", "out of this world", "unreal", magnificent", and "majestic" being loosely and freely tossed around as wandered from room to room just really made our hearts soar. We know that this crazy endeavor is worth it. We do. Just nice to be reminded sometimes.

That all being said, there's A LOT planned for the Greensfelder in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. In the meantime, though. I really encourage everyone to keep an eye peeled for the article about the Mansion when it hits this Wednesday's paper. Tomorrow, however, we celebrate Ethan's third birthday and our first Valentine's Day in the Mansion!

And just a friendly reminder that our GoFundMe campaign is still going strong! Please consider donating to history today.